St Mary the Virgin Gamlingay: From the past, for the future - repair, restore, revive.

It is wonderful to report that thanks to a large grant from the National Churches Trust in association with Heritage England and other grants from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the All Churches Trust and the Gamlingay Wind Turbine TITHE Fund we have now started on the major repairs to the roof, windows and masonry.

In 2018 we were all shocked by the theft of lead from the roof of St Mary’s Church in Gamlingay. Additionally, an inspection of the building revealed the need for other significant urgent repair work. The purpose of this newsletter is to update villagers on progress with the project to repair, restore and revive the church building.

A project team has been established to oversee the work needed to repair the damage, restore the medieval fabric to its former glory.

The urgent works include roof repairs to make the church weathertight, work to broken and vulnerable windows and structural masonry, essential to protect the valuable medieval fabric within.

Restoration of the lead taken from the roof and the damage to masonry resulting from the theft. The roof is to be repaired with lead but an alarm will be installed together with anti-theft devices to discourage potential damage. Photovoltaic panels will be installed together with state of the art battery storage so the energy produced during daytime can be used by the church users at other times. 

Revival of the community use of the building which will be achieved by addressing the access difficulties which limit use of the church. The North Porch will be welcoming and fully accessible to all. Toilets and simple catering facilities will enable us to deliver a wider range of activities including concerts, exhibitions and village events, as well as improving the experience of worship for present and future worshippers. Some of the Victorian pews will be removed to improve versatility of the space. Improved lighting, sound and visual systems will promote the unique internal heritage and enable more use of the building.

Can you help?

We are very grateful to everyone who has offered support with this project. If you can help in any way we would be extremely grateful. This is a project for the whole community.

Please get in touch by contacting the project group:

Rev Hilary Young [email protected] 01767 650587

Chris Smith [email protected] 07712 078597

Alec Hissett [email protected] 01767 650052